Big Woods Bruisers: Hunting Ohio Public Land for Whitetail

A big-racked whitetail crests the ridgeline and slowly slinks down the near-side slope. Bow in hand, you wait as the rutted-up buck follows the well-worn trail along the upwind side of your setup. Within seconds, you’re at full draw and the public-land buck you’ve been waiting for is but a well-placed arrow away.

The Shawnee State Forest, formed in 1922, is one of the largest contiguous stretches of timber in the eastern United States. It started off at 5,000 acres and today offers nearly 64,000 acres of ground on which hunters can chase their public-land whitetail dreams.

SHAWNEE STRATEGIES

Like a lot of popular public lands, some areas of the Shawnee State Forest can receive high volumes of hunting pressure. Boosting your odds of success often means finding ways to avoid pressured areas. Study maps of Shawnee to gauge where pressure might be lower. Find spots that are difficult to reach on foot and that are a mile or more away from the nearest road or parking area. Challenging terrain-based obstacles tend to reduce hunting pressure, too. Hunting this area is all about terrain and topography. It’s rugged country with steep slopes and unforgiving wilderness. It takes a strong back and stamina to tackle a hunt in this part of the world.

While the deer density is generally lower than in other habitat types, focusing on key topographical features can bring results. Find quality bedding cover that will benefit bucks. Solar bedding, thermal bedding and early successional cover are often important features. Other topographical landmarks to focus on include benches, bluffs, bowls, connecting ridge systems, hubs, ridge lines, ridge endings, saddles, valleys and more.

Food sources are key, too, but you won’t find any ag fields or food plots here. Instead, focus on natural food sources. Deer are concentrate selectors and have been known to consume upwards of 700 different plant species nationwide. Many of these can be found in Shawnee. Focus on browse, forbs, mast, grasses and similar forage.

BIG POSSIBILITIES

When scouting and hunting the Shawnee State Forest, keep in mind the most important elements of quality bedding cover, good food sources and reduced hunting pressure. Do that and you just might experience a successful DIY public-land whitetail adventure.

Don’t take my word for it. The Shawnee State Forest has more than proven itself in recent years. For starters, consider Gary Stevens’ huge 185-inch deer from about a decade ago. It’s a muzzleloader buck for the ages, and was taken along the edge of the forest.

While many public lands remain stagnant or shrink, Shawnee State Forest is growing. A few years ago, an additional 1,252 acres were added to it. That’s a win for wildlife and deer hunters alike, and it’s things like this that will make Shawnee State Forest a viable public hunting destination for many years to come.

WHILE YOU’RE THERE

Ohio is rich with historical attractions, and many of these—like the boyhood home and schoolhouse of former president Ulysses S. Grant—are found in the state’s southern region. There are also many miles of public-land walking trails in Adams County. Or you can catch a Cincinnati Bengals or Reds game while you’re in the area.

Shawnee State Forest

Size: 63,747 acres

Location: Adams and Scioto counties, Ohio

Seasons & Regs: ohiodnr.gov

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• This article was featured in the 2024 issue of Public Land Hunter magazine.

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